Gotta Have You
by Risbee
Summary: PLOT BUNNY CONTEST ENTRY Setup on yet another blind date by his meddling parents, Edward can't wait for the night to end. That is until he runs into new waitress, Bella, and suddenly his night doesn't seem so bad.  SECOND PLACE in the open vote!


**ENTRY FOR THE PLOT BUNNY CONTEST**  
**Story Name: Gotta Have You**  
**Penname: Risbee**  
**Rating: M**  
**Word Count (not including header/author's note): 8,133**  
**To see other entries in the Plot Bunny Contest, please visit the following C2:**  
**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/Plot_Bunny_Contest/82048/**

**A/N: Thanks to coldplaywhore for being the best beta ever and for Joayla for encouraging me to write this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the prompt behind this o/s. I do own the words though.**

**Original Plot Bunny**: Edward and Rose go out on a set-up date and Bella is their shy, dazzled waitress. Rose is furious that she isn't dazzling Edward, and he has manage her ire while trying to think of a way to talk to Bella.

**EPOV**

"She'll be here in twenty."

I plopped down at the table with a huff and leaned back in my chair until it was resting on only the back two legs and my head was up against the wall. I didn't say a word; I just looked at my watch again and counted the minutes until this nightmare of an evening would start, because at least then I knew it was that much closer to being over. "Oh wait, seventeen minutes." I started banging my head slowly against the wall and closed my eyes. Yeah, it was a little dramatic, but whatever. It got the point across.

"I can't believe you caved, man. What happened to living your life and not letting them interfere in your shit anymore?" Jasper looked at me with an arched eyebrow and a knowing smirk on his face, sliding a beer towards me without my even having to ask. He had been my best friend since…well since forever and not only was he completely intuitive, he also knew from experience just how manipulative my parents could be. It was why I chose to attend college, and eventually medical school, across the country. It was also why he came with me; his parents were just like mine.

"What choice did I have? I mean think about it. If I didn't give in this time, they would keep trying and trying and I'd never get a break. At least this will buy me a couple of weeks before they start up again with 'Project Edward Needs a Girlfriend.'" I shrugged before picking up the beer bottle off the table and taking a long pull from it, the cool amber liquid cooling my throat and providing brief relief from the heat.

It was only the beginning of June, but the heat of the summer wasted no time letting its presence be known. Not only were the temperatures heating up dramatically during the day, but they lingered well into the night. Already my beer had drops of condensations forming on the outside and out of sheer boredom I ran my fingers through the wetness, watching as the drops consumed each other until their combined weight caused them to trickle down the side of the bottle. "And who knows, if Rhonda…"

"Rosalie," Jasper interjected. _Hey, at least I had the first letter right._ "Rosalie Hale… ya know, it might be a good idea to know the girl's name, Edward."

"Right. Rosalie, whatever." I ignored him and kept on going. "Anyway, if Rosalie's parents are friends with mine, the girl probably deserves to have a night out. Plus, if her parents are anything _like_ mine, then she probably also needs a referral to a good therapist." We both laughed half-heartedly at my feeble attempt at a joke, because there was more truth to that comment than either of us wanted to admit.

I looked around at my surroundings, the relaxed atmosphere putting me immediately more at ease now that I was here and sitting down. With its inadequate lighting and well worn tables, The Bulldog was hardly what one would call a 'fine establishment' but it was comfortable. I looked at the wall beside me where there were pictures of celebrities, even if only on the local level, that had come in over the years. I loved that the local news personality was showcased right beside Kurt Cobain, who was right next to Jim Henson. The collection was eclectic, but it was very fitting; it gave the place character. My group of friends has been hanging out here since we started at UW seven years ago because Seth had an in with one of the bartenders and he tended to look the other way when checking our ridiculously fake ID's. Obviously that wasn't the big selling point now that we were all over 21, but we stayed loyal. Good friends, good beer and good music; what more could you want?

I was in my third year of medical school and Jasper was a music teacher at a local elementary school. Personally, I couldn't imagine spending my life listening to children annihilating songs day after day, but he thrived in it and it suited him. He was always so mellow and that job took a special sort of person. I will admit though to being just a little bit envious that he was able to start the rest of his life already because I still had years of education and a residency to get through. It was one of the main reasons I did not want a relationship right now since I knew it wouldn't be my focus, but for whatever reason Carlisle and Esme Cullen just couldn't understand that.

It was no huge surprise that a successful plastic surgeon and his socialite wife would be so obsessed with appearances, but part of me kept hoping that one day they would just leave me the fuck alone. I'd been on more set ups over the years and not one had ever led to a second date. Now, I wasn't saying that I didn't take one or two of them home with me, I wasn't stupid after all, but if they were willing then who was I to say no, right?

"Perfect timing, Cullen."

I looked up and grinned when Jasper's girlfriend, Alice came and sat down at our table. She had this Bohemian vibe going on except for her hair, which was short and spiky, but still fit her personality. Nothing ever fazed her and I don't think I'd ever seen her lose her cool. Could she get mad? Absolutely, but her mellow personality usually defused the situation before things got too uncomfortable. She and Jasper were a perfect fit. It was like they were in complete sync with each other, like they were the only two people in their world, yet they never made me feel like a third wheel. Of course, right now I did have to cough to remind them that they weren't alone at the table and that maybe The Bulldog was not the place where they wanted to conceive their first child, but for the most part they were pretty 'go with the flow' type people.

"Sorry Edward." To her credit, she did look a little embarrassed. "My shift is getting ready to end and I need to close out your tabs. You don't have to leave obviously, but I just don't want to deal with Jessica anymore than I have to tonight, so I'm clearing out my tables a few minutes early. I'm going to go ring you up. Anybody need another beer?"

At the mention of Jessica's name, I rolled my eyes and nodded my head about the beer. "Fuck, is she assigned this section, Alice?" I started looking around for two other tables somewhere else in the bar because I really really didn't want to have to deal with her tonight or any night, if I was being honest.

Jessica was flighty, touchy-feely and couldn't understand that I was simply NOT interested in her. Well, that and she had a pug nose. It was like the Seinfeld 'man-hands' episode; it was all I could see. Don't get me wrong, there were things I could overlook if it meant getting laid, but that was not one of them, or maybe it was just her. Yeah, it was just her.

Anyway, I knew I would have to be on my best behavior since Rhon… Rosalie was going to be here in a matter of minutes. Not that I planned on getting stupid drunk or anything, but you know how it is when you're interacting with new people, at least until a comfort level is established. The farther I was from Jessica Stanley, the better.

"Nope," Alice said, before grinning at me and which immediately made me suspicious. "Bella gets these tables tonight."

Bella. That name didn't mean anything to me so I looked at her in confusion before she continued.

"She's relatively new and has only had day shifts until just recently. I've been training her for a couple of weeks now, but tonight's her first night on her own." I nodded in understanding because what Alice was really saying was keep my orders simple and tip generously. Ha, like I ordered anything other than beer anyway. "Your table however," she continued on, as she nodded towards the smaller table beside us I had claimed for me and Rosalie later in case she was a bit overwhelmed. "Your table _is_ right next to Jessica's section, so I wouldn't consider yourself in neutral territory Cullen. Your date might get jealous."

"Are you serious? Can't you switch before they start? You've been here forever… don't you have some pull or something?" Just great. That was exactly what I needed - Jessica in a possessive mood. Fantastic.

Alice laughed at my unease. "No can do Casanova. Besides, like I said, Bella is on her own tonight for the first time, so I want to make sure she's put with easy tables. That way I can help her out, not that I think she'll need it. She's pretty good at what she does; she just needs to come out of her shell a little bit. Okay, I'll go grab that beer and switch out your tab. I'm assuming you want me to open another one for you?"

"Yes… in fact, bring me two beers while you're at it. This may be a long night after all." Alice leaned over and gave Jasper a quick kiss on the mouth before heading back to the bar. Like I said, they were perfect for each other and once Alice was out of earshot, I turned to Jasper and hit him with a little good-natured pressuring. What were best friends and roommates for after all? "Dude, when are you two going to realize you are perfect for each other and just do it?"

"Do it? We do it lots man and everywhere too. Why just yesterday, we were in the kitchen and all of a sudden she…"

"Stop. Seriously. I do not need to know what your ass has touched in my kitchen." I made a mental note to buy more cleaner for the countertops, something with bleach and then maybe look into the possibility of moving, soon.

"_Your_ kitchen?" He countered back pretending to be offended, but we both knew better.

"You're fucking right _my_ kitchen. You and I both know that you can burn water. Besides, you know damn well that's not what I was talking about. One of these days she's going to come to her senses and figure out what a loser you are. In fact, I'm pretty sure I caught her looking me over the other day. It might already be too late." I could barely get the words out before I started laughing and Jasper joined in almost immediately.

"Says the guy who hasn't been in a relationship since seventh grade. Look, what Al and I have may not be traditional, but it is perfect for us. We'll get married eventually, maybe; at least I'm pretty sure we will. However, if we decide not to, well we don't need some piece of paper to make it official." He took a sip of his bourbon and looked at me with this expression that just oozed contentment. "I know what she's feeling before she tells me and she knows what I'm going to do before I do. We just have this connection, I can't explain it, but I don't want to really try to either. Whatever it is, it works for us. I knew it from the moment I first saw her. "

"Well, you've got a good one. I'll give you that." When we were done talking I watched as Jasper looked over at towards the bar searching for Alice. I envied what they had and I wasn't ashamed to admit it, well to myself anyway. I didn't think I was quite ready for that to be public knowledge so when I caught Jasper looking at me with a curious expression on his face, I checked my watch again to see what time it was. Rosalie was scheduled to be here in ten minutes, so I figured I'd run to the restroom to make sure I didn't have anything stuck in my teeth or whatever. I couldn't care less about this so-called 'date', but the last thing I needed was anything getting back to my parents about how I was less than welcoming or that I made her feel uncomfortable. They wouldn't care if I was enjoying myself or not, as long as I didn't make them look bad.

I walked towards the bar and looked at the bartender, Ben Cheney. He was a good guy and had been working here as long as we'd been coming around. Knowing people had its privileges, especially when it meant I could bypass the public restrooms; I may have a slight germ phobia. I know, ironic given I'm in med school, but it was also why I was so interested in orthopedics and not communicable diseases.

"Can I?" I asked Ben and gestured towards the back room without even asking. Ben knew what I needed and smiled in response.

"Sure, man. Aro's not working tonight." Aro owned the bar and wasn't quite as accommodating. Apparently, he bought the bar after graduating from UW as a way to hold on to his 'glory days', but as the patrons got younger and his comb over worsened, his easy-going nature disappeared. Rumor had it that he was looking for a buyer.

"Thanks." I went around the edge of the bar and towards the back, not really paying any attention to my surroundings when I heard a crash. It was followed by an 'oompf' and noise that sounded like a cross between a groan and a growl. Whatever it was, somebody was pissed off. _Sucks to be them,_ I thought as I chuckled to myself and reached the door I was looking for.

A few minutes later, I unlocked the door and pulled it open, only to run directly into a drowned rat.

Well… not really, obviously, but that's the best way to describe what I could just vaguely describe as a 'her'. We did that side step thing where you both try and go around the other, but end up moving in the same direction. I was trying to hold in my laughter, because the situation was completely ridiculous, but then she looked up and our eyes met and suddenly things weren't so funny anymore.

Did I just call her a drowned rat? I couldn't have been more wrong. She was beautiful. She was tiny, only reaching my shoulders and had long brown hair that I was dying to run my hands through, even though it was dripping with what I could only guess was what had come crashing down in the stock room earlier. By the smell of it, I would guess it was peach schnapps. Her eyes were huge and looked like pools of melted chocolate.

_Dude, did you really just say that? Her eyes are brown. Save the hyperbolic sappiness for when you're lying on the grass in the park and she's feeding you grapes. _

Her mouth would look incredible wrapped around my dick.

_That's more like it. I was worried there for a second._

"Dude, shut up," I muttered to myself because while admittedly that thought was incredibly appealing, there was something special about this girl that called to me. I was definitely attracted to her physically, but there was something else, like I was drawn to her. It was strange.

I heard a soft gasp which broke me out of my trance as she covered her mouth with her hand and her eyes got even bigger. Before I could see if there was anything I could do to help, before I could even open the door to the bathroom for her since that was obviously where she was heading when we collided, she turned in the opposite direction and ran off, the sound of her soaked shoes the only thing I heard as she moved farther and farther away. While I regretted every step she took down the hall, I'd be lying if I said I didn't watch her ass as she rounded the corner at the end of the hall. Silver lining and all that.

I needed to find out who she was. Yesterday.

I walked back out to the front of the bar, but before I could ask Ben who she was, he started talking first. "Edward, your date is here." He chuckled to himself as he pushed another beer in my direction. I was about to mention the fact that Alice was supposedly bringing me another one already, another two actually, when he gave me a knowing look. "Trust me man, you're going to need it. Good luck with this chick, dude." And with that, he walked over to the other end of the bar to see what the other customers needed. That did not sound encouraging. At all. In fact, I was starting to feel like a dead man walking and pulled at the neckline of my shirt because it was suddenly feeling a bit too tight.

I grabbed my beer off the bar and downed about half of it right then. I looked over to where I had been sitting earlier and noticed that Embry and Seth had arrived while I had been gone. The whole table was in hysterics and I walked over there to see what was going on, but when I got close they all stopped, or at least tried to anyway. There were a few errant snickers here and there and Seth looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel he was trying so hard to stay quiet. I opened my mouth but before I could get the words out, Jasper beat me to it.

"Rosalie has made quite the impression." Shit. He could barely keep a straight face while saying it. Motherfucker, I was in trouble. I groaned audibly and turned around to the table I had claimed earlier, but there was nobody there. I then looked over at the door, but nobody stood out. Was it wrong that I hoped that she had already decided to leave?

As if she could read my mind, Alice chimed in. "No such luck, Cullen. She just went to the ladies room. I hope she trips on a toilet cake." Alice then shoved past me and pulled out the chair behind me, instead of sitting down though, she started spraying it off with some cleaner and wiping it down with paper towels and muttering to herself about high-maintenance bitches and entitlement issues.

When she was finished she hesitated and looked down at the drink sitting on the table, the spray bottle of cleaner hovering over it for just a split second. Good God, what was that thing? It was pink and frou-frou and frozen and I was only half joking when I peeked under the table expecting to see a teacup poodle sitting there. Who am I kidding, the dog would totally be in her purse, and I know this because my mom has one. This is exactly the type of drink she would order, at least in public when she didn't have access to the bottles of vodka stashed in the guest room closet, but that was a whole different issue altogether.

"Eddie?"

And the muffled snickers at the other table gave way to loud and obnoxious laughter. I cringed and swallowed hard before turning around and holding out my hand. "It's Edward, actually. You must be Rosalie. It's nice to meet you." That sounded believable, right?

I took the time to look her over, and I had to admit that she was attractive, but she was not the unmatched beauty my mother had said she was. She was too tall, too thin and too tanned. Her hair was perfectly fixed, her hands were impeccably manicured and she had on too much make-up. In short, she looked like a pageant queen or a one of those contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race. I was tempted to ask her if she knew where the US was located on a map but then thought better about it.

As my eyes continued to make their way down her body, I had a sneaking suspicion she was one of my father's patients. She would make a fantastic trophy wife one day for some fifty year old dermatologist going though his mid-life crisis, but for me she was not even close to being as perfect as Peach Schnapps was there in the back hallway. Even dripping wet she was a drastic improvement over Rosalie.

_Let the innuendos begin_.

My body started to respond to the images running through my mind. Schnapps in the shower, her body silhouetted by the frosted shower door. I wanted to watch as streams of soap cascaded down her body, her long hair weighed down by the water and covering her breasts just enough. Yeah, and now I had to somehow get it together before things got embarrassing and people started getting the wrong idea. And by people, I meant Rosalie.

Rosalie put her hand in mine and I shook it, but then she didn't pull it back. She just left it there, hanging limply. Like my dick, which had obviously received the memo that the hot water had run out and that shower time was over. I was confused, what in the world did she expect me to do, because I was absolutely not kissing the back of her hand. So yeah, I just kind of looked at her for a minute before turning her and guiding her to her chair, which should have been completely obvious because of the drink in front of it, but whatever. I pulled it out for her and then noticed that she had a handful of those paper toilet seat covers in her other hand. She had to be fucking kidding.

"Um, Alice already came over and cleaned off the chair.

"Actually, these are for my shoes." She placed the covers on the ground and stepped on them before eyeballing the newly cleaned chair with disgust. Her nose was wrinkled slightly and she looked like she was sitting without putting all her weight in the chair, almost like she was in some sort of convoluted yoga pose or some shit like that. She didn't really touch anything except the stirrer in her drink which she moved around and around. I silently challenged her to ask me what the sanitation grade was, but didn't, though I wouldn't have put it past her to have looked for it earlier. She looked completely repulsed by the whole situation and I wasn't sorry.

"Yeah, I don't know what happened, _Edward_," Alice said from the other table when she finally returned and plopped down beside Jasper. "Usually we have a box of those surgical booties up front to give to our customers. Today just must not have been your lucky day." Jasper elbowed her in the side and gave her a look, but Alice just rolled her eyes and glared at my date. Fantastic. I wouldn't hear the end of this one for a looong time.

A few minutes went by and things started to become even more uncomfortable. Fortunately, I was sitting with my back to the wall so I was able to glance covertly around the bar and people watch while listening to Rosalie yammer on about whatever it was she was talking about. Who was I kidding, I was looking for Schnapps.

My eyes start to glaze over when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. It was Schnapps and she was walking towards us. I tried to figure out some way to let her know that I was not on a date with Rosalie even though I was, technically speaking I guess. I was terrified that she would look at Rosalie and think that _that_ was the type of woman I was interested in and it was hardly an understatement to say that I would have given my left nut for an invisibility cloak to throw over Rosalie's head.

Schnapps was no longer in her soaking wet clothes from earlier, which disappointed me slightly. She had changed into a dry Bulldog t-shirt and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. As she got even closer, I realized she didn't smell like Schnapps anymore, but more like, well, like soap which meant she must have taken a shower. In fact, her hair was still damp and I watched a drop of water run slowly down the back of her neck. I had the sudden urge to wipe it off… with my tongue. Thinking about that was infinitely better than listening to fake tits, but I forced myself to tear my eyes away from her slender neck, her flawless creamy skin, and the tiny black shorts she was wearing to look at Rosalie…who was glaring at me.

"I asked you a question, Eddie."

"My name is Edward. Ed-ward. I don't call you Rosie, so cool it with the Eddie stuff. It sounds like you're trying too hard. And I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

_I wasn't actually sorry. There was no way I was going to apologize for staring at the incredibly gorgeous girl standing next to me. At least not to Rosalie._

"Uh huh." Yeah, it sounded like she didn't quite believe me but I never claimed to be a good liar. She looked over at the other table in disgust before continuing, "I asked you what our plans were for the rest of the night…because you know," she reached forward and started lightly scrapping her fingernails along my arm and it was all I could do not to recoil in horror, "I'm wide open."

_I bet you are_.

Her tits strained at the top of her dress, the skin was so tight that I was honestly a little afraid they might pop when she took her fingernails from my arm and started to run them along her cleavage, slowly running one finger between. Yeah…not so subtle there, sweetheart.

I could hear drink orders being given and used my superior skills of deduction to figure out that it was Bella standing beside me. Well that, and the fact that Alice had mentioned earlier that she had Bella assigned to our tables. Now that I knew her name, I needed to get to know her better, if only because she calmed me. Her voice was soothing and she had this presence about her that made me want to be wherever she was for the rest of forever. It was all I could do to not move over to the other table, but that wasn't doable, so I inhaled deeply, trying to find something to help get me through the rest of the evening, even if it was just the scent of soap on Bella's luscious body.

"You smell that too? This whole place smells like beer and cheap soap." I noticed Bella stiffen beside me. "It's no wonder you haven't had a serious relationship since you've moved out here. Your mom told me that…"

Yeah, I didn't want to talk about anything back home, so I was about to completely change the subject when I noticed Bella started to walk away, but not before turning and looking at me fleetingly. I raised my mouth slightly into a smirk and she smiled back briefly, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks. She bit her bottom lip slightly and started to walk backwards slowly, until she stumbled a bit over her own feet. Bella then closed her eyes tightly, turned around and practically ran back to the bar and I had to bite the inside of my mouth to keep from laughing at how incredibly cute she was.

At that moment, of three things I was absolutely certain: I couldn't wait for her to get back, I needed to find a way to talk to her, and I needed to ditch my date.

"So, Rosalie. I understand you're interested in UW's med school." Yeah, right. There was no way this girl was getting into med school, but all I knew about her is what I had been told so I went with it. "Are you interested in any particular field?"

"Did you know I was a gymnast? I'm really, really flexible_ and_ I'm double-jointed."

_Holy unrelated Batman. This girl was ridiculous._

"Cool. So, back to med school. Why Washington? That's a bit far from home for you, isn't it?"

"Well, I'm absolutely fascinated with Orthopedists right now."

Um, what?

"So, orthopedics huh?"

"OrthopedISTS" she emphasized, winking at me.

_Oh for fuck's sake. _Rosalie was considering Seattle because of the med school _students_, not to _attend_ the med school. It all made perfect sense. Well, at least I was sure it did to her. She wasn't looking to earn her MD; she was looking to earn her MRS. Keep on looking sweetheart because you're not going to find it with me.

"I can't handle much more of this. Jasper, I'm going to go see if I can help Bella with our drinks." Alice started to storm off when Rosalie put her hand up to stop her. I swear Jasper and the guys started to get under the table in anticipation of the fallout. Yeah, I know that I said Alice was pretty even-keeled, but when she lost her temper, she was a force to be reckoned with. She was tiny, but she was also feisty and not afraid to hit a girl. I'd seen it happen before.

"Um, sweetie, can I get another drink? This one is kind of runny now and honestly, it tastes like cheap liquor. I'd like another one, with the good stuff this time, kay?" She sounded completely pretentious and condescending and I wondered if she'd ever been told no. This night needed to end soon.

Alice opened and closed her mouth like a fish and no lie, steam started to emanate from her ears. I begged with my eyes for her to just let it go and she looked at me and then stormed off in a huff. Hopefully once she got away and found Bella she would be able to calm down. I checked my watch and Jesus Christ, she'd only been here forty-five minutes?

Without even realizing it, I found myself watching Bella and Alice behind the bar. Bella started walking this way before Alice called her back and started whispering in Bella's ear, gesturing wildly. They both kept looking over at my table, rolling their eyes until they both started to grin conspiratorially. They were definitely up to something.

"You know, Edward." Rosalie actually called me by my name, which was a small victory. "Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? I came all the way out here because I thought you and I could get something going. You have what I want, and I know I have what you want. We're beautiful people and together we could run this city, I have no doubts. But I'm getting a little miffed that you're wasting both of our time staring at somebody who obviously gets their hair done at Super Cuts and…"

Bella started walking back towards us with the precariously loaded tray. Her bottom lip was between her teeth, like she was concentrating really hard, and I started to get up to go over and help her, but I couldn't move. The whispering, the tray, Rosalie's pink frozen monstrosity of a drink right in front; it was like a slow motion scene you'd seen in a movie. I knew what was going to happen and while my mind was screaming NO, my body wouldn't cooperate. I kept thinking I needed to stop it, but I was frozen. And then it happened.

Alice came running up to Bella with one more beer just as she got behind Rosalie. "Bella!"

I closed my eyes and turned away in horror from what I knew was going to happen.

"Oooooh!" Rosalie jumped out of her seat completely covered in beer, wine, liquor, you name it. She started shrieking at the top of her lungs and while I was sure it was profanity riddled, by the time she really got going I was pretty sure only dogs could hear her. Her hair was matted to her face and she had a little pink umbrella stuck to the top of her head. Her left tit popped out of her poor excuse for a dress and I pretended to try and clean her up with the little square napkins that were on our table when all I wanted to do was thank Bella for her evil genius. I wanted to grab her around the waist, pull her to me and kiss her until we were both out of breath.

"Oh, I am sooooo sorry!" Bella professed, and while, if asked, I'd claim I never saw it, when I looked up at her and met her big brown eyes, I swear she winked.

**BPOV**

To say that tonight started off looking like a disaster in the making would be an understatement of epic proportions. Not twenty minutes after arriving to work on the first night post training, I found myself on the floor of the stock room, covered with boxes and liquor. Excellent.

Then, if that weren't enough, on the way to the bathroom to assess the damage, I ran face first into the chest of the most incredible looking guy I had ever seen in my life. His chest. I wanted to rip his shirt off so I could lick it, and not just because it was now covered with Peach Schnapps. I craved it. I craved him. It was almost animalistic, this need I had to consume him, and that was so not me. I was a good girl. I wasn't a prude by any means, but I was definitely on the more reserved side. My parents were very traditional and raised me to reflect their conservative beliefs. I couldn't date until I was 15, I had a curfew until I moved out and I wasn't allowed to call boys while I was growing up. I was pretty sure that licking strangers was not on the approved behavior list. I still wanted to though.

I tried to apologize for my clumsiness, but before I could get the words out he started mumbling about something. About what I wasn't sure, since I couldn't hear because my hair was stuck to my ears, but all I know is that when I looked up and got to take a good look at him, I freaked the fuck out. My body wanted to latch on and never let go, yet my mind was telling me to run.

_Kiss him! _

_Don't be ridiculous - run away! _

_Grab him. _

_Go! _

_You want him. _

_Are you nuts? _

_Do it! _

_Don't do it…he'll laugh at you._

I hated being shy. It sucked… hard.

_Oh God, don't think about sucking because then you're going to start blushing and then you'll get all splotchy and… oh get over yourself, you know he's magnificent. _

Oh yeah, not only was I ridiculously shy, I also had an inner monologue that obviously suffered from bipolar disorder.

So anyway, there I stood there gaping at him like a fish. Not only was I soaked with booze because somebody sent the short girl to get a box off of the top shelf, I was splotchy from embarrassment and completely hypnotized by the most incredible green eyes I had ever seen. My fight or flight response kicked in and I tore down the hall looking for a closet, a vacant room, hell even a crawl space. Just somewhere to go until I knew he was gone.

_Run away! Run away! Run away!_

Before I could get out of the building and to my truck, Alice found me. Her eyes reflected both concern and amusement at my predicament. Yeah, I guess it could be a bit funny, if it happened to somebody else. However, I was not amused.

"Don't ask. I need to run home and get into some dry clothes. I know you said to keep a set here, but I keep forgetting to bring some. Do you think I can borrow a few towels so my car doesn't get completely sticky?" Then I started to worry about driving home. With my luck, I'd get pulled over and that's never good when you smell like a drunk. Dad was the police chief back home and I picked up some dos and don'ts along the way.

"Actually, just come with me," Alice said as she reached for my hand before pulling it back when she thought about it. We walked out the back door and up a flight of stairs to an apartment on the second floor that I didn't even know existed. Sensing my hesitation she informed me that I was not the first Bulldog employee to lose a fight with a bottle of liquor. Pointing me in the direction of the shower, Alice went to go find me something to change into and a bag for my wet clothes. By the time I got out of the shower she had a t-shirt from the bar and pulled a pair of black shorts out of a bag. "I was going to spend the night at Jasper's tonight, but I'll just wear the ones I have on now, tomorrow."

I owed Alice Brandon big time and she didn't hesitate in cashing in on the favor I promised her. Which explained how I found myself making insincere apologies to a girl with her boob bouncing around outside of her dress.

Did I really just do that? Did I really just spill an entire tray of drinks on Edward's date? Yeah…yeah I did. Maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad after all.

Ok, so maybe Alice didn't have to twist my arm _that_ hard. Blondie was insufferable. It was completely obvious to everyone in the bar that she didn't fit in and that she was trying too hard. She was vapid, self absorbed and… dear lord, she was storming out of the bar with a toilet seat covers attached to the bottom of her shoes.

I looked over at the table where Jasper and the other guys were sitting and every one of them had their iPhones out. One of them had to have taken a picture and I needed to get a copy of it, maybe blow it up and put it in the employee lounge.

I felt a hand on the small of my back and a thrill went through my body. I knew who it was without even having to look up, which was good because as powerful as I felt right now, I was not ready to look at him. I mean, I _assumed_ he wanted to get rid of her, at least that's what I inferred from his body language and from what Alice told me as she was loading the tray full of drinks, but I couldn't say for certain. If I looked up and saw disappointment in his eyes, well… that might just wreck me.

"Guys, um, I should probably go make sure she gets home okay. I can't exactly let her get into a cab looking like that." He was leaving? There went my good mood, until I felt him press his mouth up against my ear. "What time do you get off?" I squeaked and he chuckled. "Off of work, Bella. What time do you get off of work?"

I took a deep breath and turned to look at Edward, his green eyes were crinkled in amusement and the left side of his mouth was starting to turn up in a smirk.

_Woman up, Swan. It's now or never._

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and leaned into _his_ ear this time. "I'm here until we close. When I get off is up to you."

Oh my God, I was going to be sick. I couldn't believe I just said that. My heart was beating out of my chest, my legs were shaking and I knew my face was eighteen different shades of red. I wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

Edward's eyes grew dark and I felt myself bite my lip out of sheer nervousness. I hoped my body could pay for the check it just wrote. With that, he turned and followed his train wreck of a date out the door.

I just stood there and watched him go, my girlie parts screaming at me to follow him and throw him down in the middle of the street. My brain was working on an escape plan to get out of seeing him again before I completely humiliated myself.

I looked back over at the table when I heard somebody mention my name and saw quite a few amused faces staring at me. "Breathe, Bella," Alice said and patted me on the shoulder, winking at me like she knew something. I just shrugged and grinned and walked back to the storage closet to get more towels and a mop to clean up the mess that was still on the floor. I may or may not have held one of said towels up to my mouth and screamed out of giddiness; I'll never tell.

The rest of the night passed without incident. Edward didn't come back and I was a bit worried about his safety because honestly that girl looked a bit unstable, but I figured if something had happened to him Jasper would have known. I handled my other tables with ease and actually ended up making some pretty good money in tips. I might even be able to graduate from Ramen Noodles for dinner to Hot Pockets sooner rather than later. Aim high Swan. Aim high.

Around midnight the bar cleared out and even though we were technically open until two in the morning, Ben gave me the rest of the night off. I didn't mind honestly, in fact I gladly threw my apron in the laundry bin and clocked out. Alice and the others tried to get me to stay for a beer, but I really just wanted to go home and process the night's events. I had the results show for this week's So You Think You Can Dance waiting for me on my old school VHS and I knew if I sat there and waited for Edward to return, my mind would start wandering, inevitably causing me to start second guessing everything.

For whatever reason he brought out the flirt in me and I liked it. There was a better than 50/50 chance that I would feel like throwing up the next time I saw him, so for tonight I wanted to go home while I felt invincible.

"Want me to get one of the guys to walk you to your truck?" Jasper offered and started to look pointedly at the others but I declined.

"Nah. It's all good. I'm going out the back and Zafrina's back there. I'll just tell her to listen and I'll beep before I leave the parking lot. I'll be fine. If it makes you feel any better, I'll text Alice when I get home, okay?"

Once that was settled, I walked towards the back of the bar and out the door. It was still humid as all get out though and I ran over to my truck so I could get in and crank up the air conditioning. I unlocked the door, pulled it open and was startled when I heard a voice behind me.

"That was a pretty rotten little maneuver you pulled in there tonight."

I shrieked, threw my wallet at the voice and jumped in the truck slamming my door shut. Just as I was about to throw the car in reverse to book it out of the parking lot, I heard a knocking on my window and saw Edward standing there. Well there went my cool points, not that I had many to begin with.

I mouthed 'get in' through the window and reached across the seat to unlock the door. As soon as Edward got in, my truck was overwhelmed with the scent of Irish Spring soap and boy. I looked at him and then back at my steering wheel, not really sure what to say. I couldn't stop grinning though.

"I'm not going to apologize, Edward."

"For what? Almost decapitating me with your wallet? Here by the way," he said with a smile as he handed it to me and I took the chance to get a good look at his fingers. Hallelujah, praise the lord and thank you Jesus. "Or for bringing a quick end to what could have been the worst night of my life?"

"Both?" I felt like I had to at least pretend to show remorse for my interference, but we both knew I was lying. He leaned forward until his face was centimeters from my own. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, I could practically taste him, and I knew then that I would need to go to church on Sunday to repent for having such lascivious thoughts about him.

"Don't lie to me, Bella. You know what happens to people that tell lies, right?" I shook my head slowly because at that moment, I was incoherent. All I could do was stare at his lips as they moved. "Their noses grow."

_What the fuck?_

He grinned, at what I can only guess was the expression on my face, before continuing. "And that would make it harder for me to do this."

Before I had a chance to think, his mouth was against mine and I felt his strong hands in my hair. Lips were pulled between teeth, tongues teased and caressed and moved languidly together. However it was described, there was tongue action, and it was delicious. I felt his teeth on my neck and I tilted my head over to the side wanting more. I moved my hands along his body, feeling his muscles move beneath my fingers. Eventually, I found my way to the hem of his shirt and I struggled to pull it over his head. It needed to come off, but I didn't want to separate from his lips. He sat up for a second and pulled it off before grabbing me and trying to pull me over to straddle his lap.

The idea was great in theory, but everything came crashing to a halt when my foot got stuck in the steering wheel causing my horn to sound, but it was actually a good thing since I said I'd beep anyway to let them know I got to my truck safely. Thank goodness for awkward fumblings, right? Still it hurt like a mofo when we tried to wrench it out. Finally, after a few less than graceful attempts I popped free and fell into Edward's lap.

_Well hellooooo there._ _Oh God, what if I hurt him. Please tell me I didn't hurt him or it. We wouldn't get much use out of it if I broke his penis. Can you even break a penis?_

"Are you okay?" He sounded really concerned and my heart skipped a beat when he pulled my leg up, bending my knee gently and allowing my foot to rest on the seat beside him. I may have even melted a bit when he started massaging it back and forth. I felt completely at ease with him and safe, which allowed me to relax and I was able to breathe through the pain and concern over his cock.

If I was being completely honest though, I'd suffered through worse, but I didn't want to discourage him from more touching. I was shy, not stupid.

He continued to rub for a bit, but his touches became less healing and more sensual. The movements slowed, his fingers lingering on my skin and the atmosphere in the truck started to get charged. I could feel his arousal underneath me, I may have breathed a sigh of relief that his cock was safe, and suddenly I felt no pain. Just need. It was now or never.

"Yeah. It's okay. Hey, did you know I was a gymnast and that I was double jointed? Oh, and I'm really interested in orthopedists?"


End file.
